


Harry Potter and the Likeness of Lily

by mjrealm (orphan_account)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, au where harry is the spitting image of lily instead of james, based off of many different tumblr posts ill link to, fem!Harry Potter - Freeform, maybe some lesbian drarry, snape is def a pedofile, this is more than a bit likely to end up like sweeney todd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-04 06:08:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10269968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/mjrealm
Summary: Think of an alternate universe where Harry is a red headed girl with big hazel eyes and a fierceness just like her mother. Lovely, right? Now think of how her relationship with Snape would be vastly different now that she looks just like the girl he had been obsessed with since he was a child. Unsettling... right?





	1. The Girl Who Lived

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm writing this for a friend who really fucking hates Snape and I love my friend so I'm putting my best effort into this. I know I'm not the best at wording dialogue and thigns like that, but I'll try my hardest to keep the characters' canon personalities. I used the archive warnings but there are going to be a lot of sensitive subjects, so I'd advise you to beware.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense.  


The strange and mysterious girl living in the cupboard under the stairs would say otherwise though. Halley Potter— the girl who lived, of course she had no idea what that meant yet. Underfed and scrawny, she laid on her cot, wishing for something in her life to change.  


“Up! Get up! Now!” A shrill voice said, rapping on the door.  


Halley sighed and sat up, auburn hair falling over her face. God, she hated living with the Dursleys. Aunt Petunia constantly had a stick up her arse, while Uncle Vernon looked like the spokesperson for coronary artery disease. Their son, Dudley, is the exactly what you would when you hear the words: _entitled, only child, and superiority complex._  


“Up!” The shrill voice repeated higher than before. Halley fiddled with the broken door knob for a while before it finally opened, exposing her lungs to some much needed fresh air. She combed her messy hair back with her fingers to make it look decent enough not to get yelled at. The smell of sizzling bacon filled her nose, making her empty stomach roar with hunger.  


Small feet tended to not make much noise, so she strolled into the kitchen unnoticed to her aunt.  


“Are you up yet? Because if not I’ll—”  


“I’m right here auntie. No need to shout.”  


Her aunt craned her neck, almost analyzing the look on Halley’s face before throwing her thin blonde hair over her shoulder. “Get a move on, now. I want you to look after the bacon. Don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday."  


Halley groaned.  


“What did you say?” His aunt snapped, her neck looking like it was about to fall off.  


“Nothing, nothing…”  


Dudley's birthday— she felt her stomach turn at the thought of Dudley acting more spoiled than he usually did. The mountain of presents atop the kitchen table was a dead giveaway that a hurricane was coming Halley’s way.  
She turned over the bacon just as Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen. “Comb your hair!” He barked— it was his way of a morning greeting.  


“I already did.”  


“Don’t back talk me, girl.” Vernon grunted and exited the room. It was almost like they yelled just to be heard. Halley was barely ever up to “funny business” as they would put it, and when she was, they barely ever caught her.  
Every other day, either Vernon or Petunia commented on how much of a mess her hair was. It pretty much had a mind of its own, being curly in the morning and then falling flat halfway through the day. Cutting it was out of the question. No matter how sharp the scissors, they were dull as safety scissors by the time the person gave up on Halley’s hair.  


She was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon— same pink face, same lack of neck, and same small eyes. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel— Halley often said he looked like a pig in a wig.  


She set the plate of bacon and eggs on the table, which was difficult to do as there wasn’t much room. The Dursleys were busy fawning over their “Duddydums”, so Halley took the opportunity to change into some actual clothes. They didn’t like spending money on anyone but themselves, so Halley usually got the clothes that were too small for Dudley. Saying Halley was small would be like saying Dudley was just big— an understatement; the shirts themselves were big enough to be a dress on her. She crawled back into her cupboard, closing the door behind her. Really, she only had a few shirts to her name, and a couple dresses Aunt Petunia was gracious enough to pull from the homeless supply, so she just pulled on some leggings and a pair of socks. Both of which had holes, but she was used to that.  


Halley heard muffled sounds of Dudley complaining followed by Aunt Petunia’s rapid appeasement, then footsteps, and finally the sound of Uncle Vernon’s voice.  


“Try anything while we’re gone and I’ll make you regret causing your parents’ deaths.”  


She felt her stomach turn at his words. “Y-you said my parents died in a car accident.”  


“Whiny brat like you sitting in the back? They probably killed themselves just to get away.”  


_Stop it! Shut up! Leave me alone!_ — those were the types of things that Halley wanted to say, but nothing came out. Deep, deep in her heart she knew Uncle Vernon was wrong and a liar, but she had no way of truly knowing. The heart wrenching click of the cupboard’s lock left her crying and alone, wondering if she really was the reason her parents died.


	2. The Broken Lock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halley's locked in the cupboard again. When the lock somehow breaks off and a tiny owl comes to the door with a letter, her world gets a little more confusing.

How much time had passed since the Dursley’s left? Minutes? Hours? Days? It most definitely hadn’t been days, but suffering could make an hour feel like a lifetime. 

Halley laid in the darkness of the cupboard, desperately trying to ignore the hunger pains plaguing her. The most she had eaten the past few weeks were the little bits of food that ended up burnt whenever she cooked meals, but that would barely be enough to keep a five year old— much less a growing girl. She tossed and turned in the small space, hoping and praying to whatever god was listening to help her fall asleep so she wouldn’t have to experience the feeling of starvation for longer than she already had. Thoughts of relief and death came to mind as she realized that she would legitimately rather be dead than live with the Dursleys any longer— hell, with how her life was going, living with the Dursleys would probably be the reason she died. Starvation? Suicide? Beaten to death for a mistake Dudley caused? All were probable.

She rubbed her fingers over the lightning bolt scar on her forehead and was filled with a new type of resolve. Yeah, she really wished she died in the car crash with her parents, but it had been eleven years since then. If Vernon wanted to be an ass and blame their death on Halley, she would just have be tougher until he could find something else to make her feel like shit. Spite was an underrated incentive. She pushed herself up, panting like she had just run up a flight of stairs, and set out to find a way to get out from the cupboard. The lock was on the other side of the door and there were no windows to crawl out of.

Halley sighed.

Dudley would have no problem breaking down the door, but she was way too small to cause the same amount of damage, plus Vernon wouldn’t like it too much if he found a door off its hinges the moment he came back.

_How to undo the lock. C’mon, Hale, there’s gotta be a way to get out. Think!_

Almost as if by magick, the door lock clicked and the door swung open in one swift movement. Of course, Halley knew magick didn’t exist… the lock must have rusted and a strong breeze thru the door open— yeah that totally made sense.

She practically ran to the kitchen, eyes landing on what only could have been the food Dudley (surprisingly) didn’t finish. The sheer feeling of pleasure coursing through her veins as she ate the bits of food scattered around the kitchen could only be compared to drinking an overcaffeinated drink and feeling the caffeine rush through you in shivers.

There was a small knock at the door.

Halley felt her heart jump into her throat. It obviously wasn’t the Dursleys— they would have just unlocked the door instead of knocking. Was she supposed to open it if Petunia and Vernon weren’t there? _I’ll do what I want._ She thought to herself, warily stepping toward the door and undoing the lock with a sharp click. She pulled the door back only slightly and peered through the open crack. “Hello?”

There was no one there. Her eyes fell with disappointment, landing on a small owl carrying a golden envelope twice its size. The owl itself was small enough to fit in Halley’s palm and she found herself wondering how on Earth it carried the letter here. She stepped back to fully open the door and crouched right in front of the owl, petting it with the side of her thumb. “How’d you get all the way here, little guy? There aren’t any owls around for miles.”

Almost like it could understand her, it fluttered its wings proudly and dropped the golden letter at her feet. Written in emerald ink it read:  
_Ms. H. Potter_  
_The Cupboard under the Stairs_  
_4 Privet Drive_  
_Little Whinging_  
_Surrey_

The owl made a face that almost to say _“open it you bloke”_ before turning on its tiny feet and fluttering off, leaving Halley in shock. Saying she was confused would have been an understatement— she was bewildered. She had never gotten a letter before, much less one so specific in address. No one outside the house knew she lived under the stair, except for Uncle Vernon’s sister Marge, but there was no way she would ever send Halley a letter.

Just as she slipped her finger under the flap to open the letter, the familiar sputter of Uncle Vernon’s car made its way down Privet Drive. Halley scrambled to her feet, kicked the door closed and ran back to the cupboard. She would have given anything to be able to read that letter then and there, but knowing the Dursleys, they would take it the moment they saw it. She crawled back inside her sorry excuse for a room and tucked the beautiful letter into a book Dudley threw at her once— it wasn’t like he was going to read it anyways. “I’ve just got to wait until they aren’t paying attention.” She whispered to herself, pulling the cupboard door back into place. Little did she know that letter was the entrance to an entirely new world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, the chapters might take a while to come out. I'm a junior in highschool _**and**_ I constantly have rehearsals for two separate dance performances, so the only time I have to write is during classes (when I should actually be paying attention but shhhh). I know it's off to a slow start, but I've gotta build Halley's character before tossing her into the wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry, so let's just hope this story doesn't flop


	3. The Letters From No One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vernon and Petunia are keeping something from Halley, and she's not going to sleep until she knows just what it is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG TO GET THIS OUT BUT LIFE GOT IN THE WAY AND I'M KINDA A LAZY PERSON BUT HERE YOU GO

A little over a month had passed since the tiny owl dropped the letter at Halley’s door, but sadly her curiosity for it had died down. She should have been happy the summer holidays began, but being trapped in the house with the Dursleys pretty much spoiled it.

Dudley was always out with his ~~gang~~ friends, and didn’t even try to clean up his mess, so the job was given to Halley instead. She _really_ hated having to pick up his underpants off the floor in the bathroom, but (much to Halley’s dismay) anytime she would complain, Aunt Petunia would just lecture her on “a woman’s duty in the house”. _If it's a woman's duty to cook clean, then why don’t women just marry other girls and split the chores between the two?_ , she thought to herself. Of course, she would never say that to Aunt Petunia— who knows what her reaction would be to something like that.

Halley woke to a horrid smell coming from the kitchen. Tears beaded in her eyes the moment she opened the cupboard door. She couldn't help satisfying her curiosity and went in for a look, only to find the stench coming from a large metal tub in the sink. “What's this?” She asked Aunt Petunia. 

Petunia’s lips as she spoke. “Your new school uniform.” She said. 

“Oh.” Halley was starting high school as soon as break ended, and thankfully wasn't going to the same one as Dudley, but instead the cheapest school in the area. She took a second look at the dingy rags in the grey water. “I didn't realize they had to be so wet.”

“Don't be stupid.” Petunia snapped at Halley, looking at her with cold, hawkish eyes. “I'm dyeing some of Dudley’s old clothes grey for you. They'll look just like everyone else's when I'm finished.”

“Oh yes, I'm certain an oversized, grey rag will blend in with the blazer and skirts everyone else will be wearing.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing auntie.” Halley sat at the table, avoiding Petunia’s glare. It didn't take long for Vernon and Dudley to make their way in, wrinkled noses from the smell of Halley’s “new uniform”. From the look in their eyes, they had a couple of questions but ultimately decided against asking them. 

Petunia setting down the plate of food on the table before taking her seat next to her husband, and unfortunately in front of Halley. “Vernon… have you checked for… any *cough* _letters_ today?”

She was acting strange and Halley knew it. If Dudley wasn’t so occupied with his breakfast, he probably would have noticed too. Had it been like that all week? Halley spent her mornings fixing Dudley’s messes for the past several days, so she really had no idea.

“Post for the day hasn’t come yet.” Vernon said wearily.

They heard the click of the mail slot and flop of letters on the doormat.

Halley was in a pretty decent mood that day, so she decided to be nicer than usual. “I’ll get it.” She said, getting up from the table. 

“NO!” Both Vernon and Petunia shouted at once. They shot looks at each other for reassurance. Petunia forced a smile. “Halley, dear… I think you’ve outgrown that dingy cupboard of yours, don’t you think? Why don’t you… go and move your things into Dudley’s second room?”

“Why…?” To put it blatantly, Halley was creeped out. Petunia was being oddly giving, while Vernon practically made a sprint to get the letters before anyone else could. 

“No reason.” Petunia said, feigning kindness.

It only took Halley one trip to move all of her belongings upstairs, which was sad in its own way. She had dreamed of having a room to herself for years, but it was more disappointing than anything. Sounds of Dudley crying to his mother about how badly he needed the extra bedroom came from downstairs, but the room really only kept broken toys he couldn’t bare to be bothered with. There _was_ the bookshelf covered in dust from years of being ignored— Halley could probably read to pass the time if she needed to.

_I should probably put mine up there too_ She thought to herself, staring at her small pile of books on the floor. She had “collected” them from the times Dudley threw them at her and claimed them for herself at that point. Bouncing from the bed to her feet, she picked her books up; knocking a certain golden envelope from it’s place. If anything, she was shocked that it was still there. Just the other day, she could have sworn that she saw Vernon looking red-faced with an identical letter in hand. Feeling her heartbeat grow faster, she stared at the writing on the face of it.

_Ms. H. Potter_  
_The Smallest Bedroom_  
_4 Privet Drive_  
_Little Whinging_  
_Surrey_

__

____Almost as if by magic, the address changed from saying she lived in the cupboard under the stairs to her new room. Something was definitely out of the ordinary._ _ _ _

__

____The walls of her new bedroom were fairly thin, as Halley learned from hearing Dudley’s bitchfit from downstairs. Just across the hall, she could hear a panicked conversation between her aunt and uncle._ _ _ _

__

____“More and more of the damned things keep coming in— there had to be at least an ‘undred more than yesterday.” Vernon said. “Think they’re watching us? Trying to find her?”_ _ _ _

__

____“They knew where she sleeps; I-I moved her up to the spare room to test it.” Petunia responded in a quivering voice. “What should we do, Vernon? Write back— maybe tell them we don’t want—”_ _ _ _

__

____“I’m **not** having one in the house, Petunia. We’ll keep ignoring it— damn them if they show up at **my** house.”_ _ _ _

__

____That was enough of eavesdropping for Halley. Nothing they said made sense, but it was definitely because of some kind of letter. Was it the same one Halley had received a month ago? Whoever _they_ were— did they sent out extra copies? She took her place back on her new bed and stared at the gold parchment._ _ _ _

__

____“I’m getting my hopes up for this, so you better not disappoint.” She slowly opened the envelope and unfolded the letter inside._ _ _ _

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, wow, there's a few reasons why this took a while to write, so I'm just going to explain. The friend I was originally writing this for no longer talks to me and it kinda made me want to give up on this, I had to finish up projects for the end of the quarter at school, apparently dancing every day for two weeks straight makes creativity just fucking disappear, but I'm on spring break now, so I'll try to pump out a couple more chapters before I go back to school. I didn't even realize its been a month since the last chapter until this morning when I took a look. Anyways, let's wish me some good luck and hope I don't get too busy in trying (and failing) to start other fanfics


End file.
